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BULLETIN  No.  101. 


JANUARY,  1899. 


ALABAMA 

Agricultural  Experiment  Station 

OP  THE 

Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College, 

AUBURN 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  COTTON,  1898, 


J.  F.  D XT G-GJ-A.fi. 


MONTGOMERY  ALA.: 

The  Brown  Printing  Company,  Printers 
1899, 


COMMITTEE  OF  TRUSTEES  ON  EXPERIMENT  STATION. 


I.  F.  Culver 

J.  G.  Gilchrist 

H.  Clay  Armstrong 


Union  Springs. 
. ..  Hope  Hull. 
Auburn . 


STATION  COUNCIL. 


Wm.  LsRoy  Broun  . 
P.  PI.  Mell 

B.  B.  Ross 

C.  A.  Cary,  D.  V.  M 

J.  F.  Duggar - 

F.  S.  Earle 

*C.  F.  Baker 

J.  T.  Anderson 


President. 

Director  and  Botanist. 

Chemist. 

Veterinarian. 

Agriculturist. 

Biologist  and  Horticulturist. 

Entomologist. 

. Associate  Chemist. 


ASSISTANTS. 


0.  L.  Hare First  Assistant  Chemist. 

R.  G.  Williams ' Second  Assistant  Chemist. 

T.  U Culver Superintendent  of  Farm. 


j£g?~The  Bulletins  of  this  Station  will  be  sent  free  to  any  citizen 
of  the  State  on  application  to  the  Agricultural  Experiment  Station, 
Auburn,  Alabama. 


*Absent  on  leave. 


Mi],  . 


Circulating  copy 


Agricultural  Library 


T 


EXPERIMENTS  WITH  COTTON,  1898. 

By  J.  F.  Duggar. 


SUM  MARY. 

The  growing  season  of  1898  was  extremely  dry  until  June 
12,  which  was  unfavorable  to  securing  full  effects  from  fer- 
tilizers. 

Of  fourteen  varieties  of  cotton  tested  in  1898,  the  largest 
yield  was  made  by  Russell  Big  Boll,  382  pounds  of  lint  per 
acre.  Next  in  yield  of  lint  followed  Deering,  Peterkin  and 
Smith  Improved. 

Subsoiling  late  in  February  failed  to  increase  the  yield. 

On  gray  sandy  soil  all  fertilizers  yielded  a profit ; on 
this  soil  the  yield  was  profitably  increased  by  application 
of  nitrogen,  phosphoric  acid  and  potash,  singly  or  in  com- 
bination. 

The  }7ield  was  larger  when  all  of  the  fertilizer  was  applied 
in  the  center  furrow  than  when  two-tliirds  or  all  of  it  was 
applied  in  the  two  listing  furrows. 

In  a comparison  of  rotted  cotton  seed,  cotton  seed  meal 
and  nitrate  of  soda  the  results  were  inconclusive. 

As  a means  of  decreasing  black  rust,  50  lbs.  of  nitrate  of 
potash  per  acre  was  fully  as  effective  as  200  lbs.  of  kainit, 
each  material  furnishing  an  equal  quantity  of  potash. 

One  hundred  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre  reduced  the  amount 
of  rust ; 60  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre  was  less  effective  in 
causing  the  cotton  plants  to  retain  their  leaves. 


4 


The  Rainfall  During  the  Growing  Season  of  1898. 

The  following  is  the  condensed  record  of  rainfall  at 
Auburn,  April  to  September  inclusive,  as  observed  by  Dr. 
J.  T.  Anderson,  of  the  Chemical  Department : 

Rainfall 
in  inches. 


April 5.06 

May 26 

June 1.18 

July ...  6.79 

August 10.13 

September 1.93 


The  longest  period  of  extremely  light  rainfall  was  from 
April  23  to  June  12,  during  which  period  only  six-tenths  of 
an  inch  of  rainfall  is  recorded. 

From  April  4 to  July  6 no  heavy  rains  fell,  only  exceed- 
ingly light  showers ; after  July  6 the  rainfall  was  abundant. 

It  should  be  added  that  fall  frosts  occurred  in  1898  at  an 
unusually  early  date. 

Varieties. 

The  number  of  varieties  compared  in  1898  was  fourteen. 
The  rows  were  3^  feet  apart.  Thinning  was  done  after 
counting  the  plants,  so  as  to  leave,  wherever  practicable, 
an  equal  number  of  plants  on  each  of  the  sixteen-acre  plots. 
With  a perfect  stand,  the  distance  between  plants  averaged 
about  18  inches. 

However,  the  stand  on  some  plots  was  so  poor  that  we 
were  compelled  to  conduct  the  test  with  inequalities  in 
stand.  In  all  cases  the  number  of  plants  per  acre  is  given 
in  the  following  table.  Undoubtedly,  the  deficiencies  in 
stand  placed  the  varieties  with  small  stalks  or  short  limbs 
at  a disadvantage  in  the  instances  where  such  varieties  had 
a poor  stand.  It  is  probably  for  this  reason  that  King,  a 
variety  with  very  small  stalk,  stood  near  the  foot  of  the  list 
in  1898.  In  previous  tests,  and  in  an  adjoining  field  in 
1898,  it  was,  with  a better  stand,  decidedly  productive. 


5 


The  field  used  had  been  employed  in  1897  for  an  experi- 
ment to  determine  the  best  distance  for  planting  cotton. 
The  details  of  that  test  are  recorded  in  Bulletin  No.  89  of 
this  station. 

The  land  was  flushed  before  being  fertilized  and  bedded; 
a complete  fertilizer  was  drilled  at  the  rate  of  500  pounds 
per  acre  and  at  a cost  of  $3 . 84  per  acre. 

This  consisted  of 

200  lbs.  acid  phosphate  per  acre. 

200  “ cotton  seed  meal  “ “ 

100  “ kainit  “ “ 

All  plots  were  planted  April  15  and  the  vacant  spaces  re- 
planted April  27. 


Yield  per  acre,  relative  earliness,  and,  percentage  of  lint 
of  14  varieties  of  cotton. 


Plot  No. 

Varieties. 

No.  of  plants 
per  acre. 

Yield  of  seed 
cotton. 

•gout 

Mgi 

5 c '5. 

Percentage  of  i 
lint. 

Yield  of  lint 
per  acre. 

15 

Russell  Big  Boll 

8576 

1200 

64. 

31.9 

382 

7 

Deering 

10280 

957 

54. 

35.6 

341 

11 

Peterkin  

10280 

978 

44. 

34.7 

339 

17 

Smith  Improved  

10280 

1062 

i 69. 

31  9 

339 

1 

Truitt 

10280 

1010 

57. 

32.6 

330 

10 

Texas  Oak 

10280 

872 

52. 

36  5 

318 

13 

Hutchinson’s  Storm  Prolific 

J 0280 

941 

64. 

32  8 

309 

2 

14  > 

Jones’  Re-improved  

10280 

962 

57. 

31.8 

306 

9 

4\ 

Peerless  

8096 

922 

60. 

33  5 

304 

3 

Hawkins 

7024 

866 

65. 

34. 

288 

6 

Strickland 

8144 

816 

35. 

32  1 

262 

12 

Griffin 

7296 

763 

67. 

32  8 

250 

5 I 

King  

7728 

643 

60. 

33  5 

216 

8 1 

^Unknown 

560 

227 

20. 

30.9 

70 

* Bought  from  a seedsman  as  Welborn.  It  proved  uutrue  to  name 
and  most  seeds  were  not  capable  of  germination  ; however,  the  few 
plants  that  appeared,  about  1-20  of  a stand,  were  left  to  mature. 


6 


It  should  be  remembered  that  no  single  test  can  be  taken 
as  finally  determining  the  relative  values  of  different  varie- 
ties. Results  vary  from  year  to  year.  The  past  season  was 
unusual,  a fact  which  detracts  from  the  value  of  these  re- 
sults. 

In  addition  to  the  varieties  in  the  test  just  described, 
Allen’s  New  Hybrid  Long  Staple  and  Culpepper  Improved 
were  grown  alongside  the  variety  test,  but  on  plots  which, 
in  previous  years,  had  been  cropped  in  such  a way  as  to 
render  the  results  in  1898  not  comparable  with  the  results 
obtained  on  the  plots  referred  to  in  the  table. 

In  this  separate  division  where  Peerless  was  grown  as  a 
check  on  the  other  two  varieties,  the  yield  of  lint  per  acre 
was  with  Peerless  374,  with  Allen  357,  and  with  Culpepper 
334  pounds.  The  number  of  plants  per  acre  was  respectively, 
10,280,  10,280  and  7,616. 

In  another  field  a few  of  the  seed  of  the  Jackson  Limbless 
variety  were  planted.  No  difference  could  be  seen  between 
these  plants  and  plants  of  the  Welborn  Pet  variety  as  grown 
at  this  Station  in  previous  tests.  The  Georgia  Experiment 
Station  had  already  pointed  out  the  similarity  of  the  two 
varieties. 

The  limited  number  of  seed  planted  and  the  small  area 
of  ground  occupied  do  not  allow  a statement  of  the  yield 
per  acre.  By  its  appearance  it  was  judged  to  be  a good, 
but  not  remarkably  productive  variety. 

Subsoiling. 

This  experiment  was  conducted  on  red,  rather  stiff,  shal- 
low soil,  inclined  to  bake  and  sensitive  to  drought.  Flint 
stones  are  abundant. 

On  February  24,  1898,  one  plot  was  broken  to  the  usual 
depth,  about  4 inches,  with  a one-horse  turn  plow.  In  this 
furrow  followed  a scooter  drawn  by  one  mule,  which 
loosened  a part  of  the  soil  to  an  additional  depth  of  3^  or  4 
inches.  In  this  way  the  soil  was  loosened  to  a depth  of 


7 


about  8 inches  without  throwing  up  to  the  surface  the  clay 
of  the  subsoil,  which  is  doubtless  poorer  when  first  exposed 
to  the  air  than  is  the  surface  soil. 

On  the  same  date  another  plot  was  broken  with  a one- 
horse  turn  plow  in  the  usual  way  without  the  subsoiling 
scooter.  Subsequent  treatment,— bedding,  fertilizing,  and 
planting, — was  identical  on  both  plots. 

The  fertilizer,  applied  in  the  center  furrow,  and  mixed 
with  the  soil  by  the  use  of  a scooter  plow,  was  as  follows 
on  both  plots : 

240  lbs.  of  acid  phosphate  per  acre. 

100  “ “ cotton  seed  meal  “ “ 

48  “ “ muriate  of  potash  per  acre. 


388  lbs.,  total  per  acre. 

The  yield  of  seed  cotton  per  acre  was  992  pounds  on  the 
subsoiled  plot  and  970  pounds  on  the  plot  not  subsoiled. 

The  difference  in  favor  of  subsoiling  is  insignificant,  being 
only  22  pounds  per  acre. 

It  should  not  be  forgotten  that  the  late  date  at  which  the 
land  was  broken  and  the  light  rainfall  up  to  July  constituted 
conditions  highly  unfavorable  to  the  growth  of  crops  on 
subsoiled  land,  the  soil  having  probably  never  become  suffi- 
ciently settled  until  the  late  summer  rains  occurred. 

Attention  is  also  called  to  the  fact  that  the  process  which 
here,  in  accordance  with  local  custom,  is  spoken  of  as  sub- 
soiling, is  quite  different  from  and  much  less  thorough  than 
is  subsoiling  by  means  of  a specially  constructed  subsoil 
plow,  which  loosens  a wider  furrow  and  runs  deeper  than 
the  scooter  plow  used  in  this  experiment. 

“Light  soils  would  probably  not  be  benefitted  by  subsoil- 
ing. If  subsoiling  is  practiced,  it  should  be  done  early 
enough  in  the  winter  to  allow  the  rains  to  moisten  and  settle 
the  deeply  stirred  soil  before  planting  time.” — Bui.  No.  89, 
Ala.  Expt.  Station. 


8 


Experiments  with  Fertilizers. 

This  experiment  w^as  conducted  on  a hilltop  where  the 
soil  was  gray  and  sandy.  The  sand  was  deep  and  the  soil 
very  poor.  This  field  had  been  planted  in  cotton  in  1896 
and  in  1897  it  was  used  for  a test  of  varieties  of  oats.  No 
cowpeas  or  other  renovating  plant  had  grown  on  this  field 
since  1895.  Both  the  oats  and  the  cotton  of  preceding  years 
had  received  moderate  quantities  of  a complete  fertilizer 
mixture. 

All  fertilizers  for  the  cotton  crop  of  ’98  were  drilled  in 
the  center  furrow  and  mixed  by  use  of  a scooter  with  the 
soil.  April  15  Peerless  cotton  was  planted  in  all  plots. 
Single  plants  were  left  at  distances  of  15  to  18  inches  in  the 
drill,  and  the  rows  were  3J  feet  apart. 

The  period  up  to  the  time  when  bolls  were  formed  was 
very  dry  and  hence  very  unfavorable  to  the  action  of  the 
fertilizers.  Black  rust  was  worse  on  plots  having  no  kainit 
than  on  those  where  kainit  was  used.  The.  rust-restraining 
power  of  kainit  explains,  at  least  in  part,  its  favorable 
effect  in  this  experiment. 

Indeed  the  weather  conditions  were  so  decidedly  unfavor- 
able that  as  late  as  August  6th  the  plants  on  the  fertilized 
plots  were  as  large  as  those  on  plots  where  cotton  seed  meal, 
acid  phosphate,  or  kainit  had  been  applied  singly. 

The  yield  of  seed  cotton  per  acre,  the  increase  per  acre  at- 
tributable to  fertilizers,  the  cost  of  fertilizers  per  acre,  and 
the  profit  from  fertilizer  are  given  in  the  table  below.  In 
this  table  allowance  is  made  for  the  slight  difference  in  yield 
of  the  two  fertilized  plots,  and  the  following  prices  per  ton 
are  assumed  for  fertilizers:  Cotton  seed  meal,  $19;  high 

grade  acid  phosphate,  $12.50 ; kainit,  $13.75.  Seed  cotton 
is  valued  at  1 5-9  cents  per  pound  which  is  equal  to  5 cents 
per  pound  of  lint  and  $6.67  per  ton  of  seed. 


9 


Results*  of  fertilizer  experiments  at  Auburn , 1898. 


Fertilizers. 

Results  Per  Acre. 

Plot  No. 

Amount  per 
acre . 

K IND  . 

Per  cent  of  crop 
at  first  picking. 

Yield  seed  cot- 
ton . 

Increase  over 
unfertilized 
plots. 

Value  of  increase 
at  1 5-9  cent 
per  pound 

Cost  of 
fertilizers . 

Profit  from  fer- 
tilizers. 

Lbs. 

20  200 

21  240 

22  00 

23  200 

24  { 200 
2^  1 240 
05  J 200 
20  ( 200 
9ft  j 240 
2b\  200 

27  00 
( 200 

28  ] 240 
( 200 

Cotton  seed  meal 

Acid  phosphate 

No  fertilizer 

70 
77 
80 

71 

74 

65 

66 
76 

65 

Lbs. 

889 

853 

675 

783 

L013 

1192 

1145 

655 

1177 

Lbs. 

214 

178 

$ 3 33 
2.77 

$ 1 90 
1.50 

$ 1.43 
1.27 

Kainit 

Cotton  seed  meal { 

Acid  phosphate ) 

Cotton  seed  meal { 

Kainit 1 

Acid  phosphate \ 

Kainit \ 

No  fertilizer 

122 

346 

529 

486 

1.77 
5 36 

8 23 
7 56 

1 38 
3.40 

3.28 

2.88 

.39 

1.96 

4.95 

4.68 

Cotton  seed  meal ) 

Acid  phosphate [• 

Kainit ) 

522 

8.12 

4.7.8 

3.34 

Increase  of  seed  cotton  per  acre  where  cotton  seed  meal 
was  added : 


was  added : 

To  unfertilized  plot.  . . • 21 1 lbs. 

To  acid  phosphate  plot i68  “ 

To  kainit  plot 407 

To  acid  phosphate  and  kainit  plot 86  “ 


Average  increase  with  cotton  seed  meal.  .206  lbs. 

Increase  of  seed  cotton  per  acre  where  acid  phosphate 


was  added : 

To  unfertilized  plot  . 178  lbs. 

To  cotton  seed  meal  plot 132  “ 

To  kainit  plot 364  “ 

To  cotton  seed  meal  and  kainit  plot — 7 “ 


Average  increase  with  acid  phosphate 168  lbs. 


10 


Increase  of  seed  cotton  per  acre  when  kainit  was  added : 


To  unfertilized  plot 123  lbs. 

To  cotton  seed  meal  plot 3i5  “ 

To  acid  phosphate  plot 308  “ 

To  cotton  seed  meal  and  acid  phos.  plot. . . 176  “ 

Average  increase  with  kainit 230  lbs. 


From  the  analysis  above  it  is  evident  that  this  soil  needed 
all  three  of  the  fertilizer  ingredients,  the  nitrogen  in  cotton 
seed  meal,  the  phosphoric  acid  in  acid  phosphate,  and  the 
potash  in  kainit.  In  every  case  the  use  of  fertilizers  re- 
turned a profit.  Doubtless  this  profit  would  have  been 
much  larger  had  there  been  sufficient  rainfall  in  May  and 
June  to  properly  dissolve  and  distribute  the  fertilizer.  The 
largest  profit  resulted  from  a mixture  of  cotton  seed  meal 
and  kamit;  this  was  closely  followed  in  point  of  profit  by 
a mixture  of  cotton  seed  meal,  kainit  and  acid  phosphate. 
Mixtures  of  two  fertilizers,  aggregating  400  to  4 iO  pounds 
per  acre,  afforded  in  every  case  a greater  profit  than  200  to 
240  pounds  of  a single  fertilizer  material.  Probably  the 
slightly  greater  effect  of  cotton  seed  meal  or  of  kainit  as 
compared  with  acid  phosphate  was  due  to  the  fact  that  in 
preceding  years  there  had  been  applied  more  of  phosphate 
than  of  any  other  material.  This  should  not  be  taken  to 
indicate  that  phosphate  is  generally  less  necessary  than  the 
other  ingredients.  On  most  sandy  soils  it  is  certainly  equal, 
if  not  superior,  to  the  other  fertilizers  used. 

Method  of  Applying  Fertilizers. 

The  land  used  for  this  experiment  was  a rather  stiff  loam 
of  light  reddish  color,  and  very  stoney.  The  field  had  been 
in  rye  in  1897,  followed  by  broadcast  Wonderful  cowpeas, 
which  were  picked  and  then  grazed  by  cattle.  The  land 
was  twice  broken,  rather  to  destroy  Bermuda  grass  than  as 
a necessary  preparation  for  cotton.  In  both  of  these  plow- 


11 


ings,  scooters  were  used  in  preference  to  turn  plows,  so  as 
to  avoid  burying  deeply  any  of  the  grass. 

When  ready  to  plant,  a complete  fertilizer  was  applied, 
as  follows  : 

On  two  plots  the  fertilizer  was  all  drilled  in  the  “ marking 
off”  or  center  furrow  and  mixed  by  using  a scooter  ; on  two 
other  plots  one-half  the  fertilizer  was  applied  in  each  “list- 
ing” furrow,  that  is  about  8 to  10  inches  on  each  side  of  the 
line  of  drill,  making  no  special  provision  for  incorporating 
the  fertilizer  with  the  soil ; and  on  two  other  plots  the  fer- 
tilizer was  divided  into  three  equal  portion0,  one  part  ap- 
plied in  the  center  furrow  without  mixing  and  one  portion 
in  each  “listing”  furrow. 

April  25,  the  same  day  that  fertilizers  were  applied  and 
beds  formed,  all  plots  were  planted  with  King  cotton. 
When  the  plants  were  large  enough,  all  plots  were  so  thinned 
as  to  leave  an  equal  number  of  plants  on  each  plot. 

The  land  was  apparently  uniform. 

The  fertilizer  used  on  all  plots  consisted  of 

240  pounds  acid  phosphate  per  acre, 

120  “ cotton  seed  meal  “ “ 

120  “ kainit  “ “ 

480  “ Total  per  acre. 

The  rate  of  application  was  heavier  than  usual  in  order 
to  emphasize  any  differences  that  might  be  due  to  the 
methods  of  applying  the  fertilizer. 


12 


The  results  are  given  in  the  table  below  : 


Fertilizer  applied  all  in  center  furrow , or  in  two  listing  furrows, 
or  in  all  three  furrows. 


Plot 

No. 

Fertilizers  Applied 

Seed 
cotton 
per 
acre . 

1 

j34  in  center  furrow 

Lbs. 

(34  in  each  listing  furrow 

1371 

o 

All  in  center  furrow  (mixed) 

1338 

3 

34  each  listing  furrow 

1174 

4 

^34  in  center  furrow 

(34  in  each  listing  furrow 

1117 

5 

All  in  center  furrow  (mixed) 

1454 

6 

34  in  each  listing  furrow 

Averages. 

1166 

1 & 4 

j34  in  center  furrow 

(34  in  each  listing  furrow 

1248 

2 & 5 

All  in  center  furrow  (mixed) 

1396 

3 & 6 

)4  in  each  listing  furrow 

1170 

The  highest  yield  on  any  single  plot,  1,454  pounds  of  seed 
cotton,  or  practically  one  bale  per  acre,  and  the  highest 
average  yield,  1,396  pounds  per  acre,  were  made  on  the  plots 
on  which  all  the  fertilizer  was  placed  in  the  center  furrow. 
A single  experiment  canuot  establish  a truth,  but  as  far  as 
this  test  goes,  it  is  decidedly  in  favor  of  applying  all  the 
fertilizer  in  the  center  furrow,  thus  not  only  economiziug 
labor,  but  also  securing,  under  the  conditions  of  this  ex- 
periment, a larger  yield.  Apparently  the  absence  of  the  fer- 
tilizer from  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  plants  on  Plots  3 
and  6 was  quite  unfavorable  to  yield. 

It  should  not  be  inferred  that  the  application  of  as  much 
as  480  pounds  of  commercial  fertilizer  per  acre  should  be 
applied  in  the  center  furrow  ivithout  mixing.  When  large 
quantities  of  fertilizers  are  used  it  is  important  to  incorpo- 
rate the  fertilizer  with  the  soil  by  the  use  of  a scooter  or  of 
some  corresponding  implement.  It  cannot  be  stated  just 


13 


what  amount  of  fertilizer  makes  this  mixing  imperative,  but 
it  is  safest  to  mix  thus  when  300  pounds  or  more  per  acre 
is  the  quantity  used ; with  lighter  applications,  this  mixing 
though  doubtless  advantageous,  may  not  pay  for  the  extra 
labor  involved. 

Cotton  Seed  vs.  Cotton  Seed  Meal  or  Nitrate  of  Soda. 

The  land  used  for  this  experiment  was  similar  to  that 
used  for  the  subsoil  experiment  previously  described.  In 
the  recent  past  all  plots  had  been  fertilized  and  cropped 
alike. 

The  crop  in  1897  was  corn,  with  a very  thin  and  unsatis- 
factory stand  of  peas  growing  in  a drill  between  the  corn 
rows.  On  the  corn  a complete  home  mixed  fertilizer  had 
been  used  at  a moderate  rate  per  acre.  The  amount  of 
nitrogen  left  in  the  soil  by  the  thin  growth  of  peas  and  by 
the  small  amount  of  residual  nitrogen  from  previous  ferti- 
zation  must  have  been  very  slight. 

The  land  was  flushed  and  then  bedded,  applying  in  the 
“ marking  off”  or  center  furrow  the  fertilizers  indicated 
below. 

All  plots  received 

240  pounds  acid  phosphate  per  acre  and 
96  pounds  kainit  per  acre. 

Two  cotton  plots  received  no  nitrogenous  fertilizer ; two> 
others,  475  ponnds  (dry  weight)  of  cotton  seed  (14  5-6  bush- 
els) per  acre,  moistened  several  weeks  before  being  used  and 
in  the  meantime  kept  covered  with  earth  to  prevent  the  es- 
cape of  ammonia. 

A third  pair  of  plots  received  216  pounds  of  cotton  seed 
meal,  this  amount  containing  the  same  quality  of  nitrogen 
as  the  475  pounds  of  cotton  seed.  Still  another  pair  of 
plots  received  a similar  quantity  of  nitrogen,  but  in  the 
form  of  75  pounds  of  nitrate  of  soda. 


14 


The  variety  used  was  Truitt,  the  date  of  planting,  April 
18,  the  fertilizers  having  been  applied  quite  recently. 

When  the  crop  was  of  sufficient  size  it  was  so  thinned  as 
to  leave  an  equal  number  of  plants  (8,800  per  acre)  on  each 
plot,  except  on  Plot  8,  where  the  original  staud  was  so  ir- 
regular that  only  6,786  plants  per  acre  could  be  left  on  that 
plot.  However,  a comparison  of  the  yield  of  this  plot  with 
that  of  its  duplicate  suggests  that  the  deficient  stand  was 
not  in  this  case  a disadvantage ; hence  the  figures  for  Plot 
8 are  used  in  the  averages  in  the  table  below. 

Two  plots  forming  a part  of  this  experiment  were  planted, 
the  one  with  Wonderful  cowpeas,  the  other  with  velvet 
beans,  to  be  plowed  under  in  the  spring  of  1899  so  as  to 
compare  the  value  of  these  plants  as  fertilizers  for  the  cot- 
ton crop  of  1899  with  the  commercial  fertilizers  that  will  be 
applied  to  that  cotton  crop  on  the  other  eight  plots. 

These  plants  were  fertilized  with 

240  pounds  of  acid  phosphate  per  acre  and 
96  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  yield  of  unhulled  peas 
on  Plot  1 in  1898  was  at  the  rate  of  1611  pounds,  or  more 
than  18  bushels  per  acre ; the  average  yield  of  two  cotton 
plots  fertilized  like  the  peas  was  8S8  pounds  of  seed  cotton 
per  acre. 

The  yields  of  seed  cotton  are  given  in  the  following  table, 
in  which  the  mixture  of  acid  phosphate  and  kainit  applied 
on  all  plots  is  for  convenience  referred  to  as  “ mixed  min- 
erals. ” 


15 


Fertilizing  value  of  nitrogen  from  cotton  seed , cotton- seed  meal, 
and  nitrate  of  soda. 


Plot 

No. 

Fertilizers. 

Yield  of 
seed 
cotton 
per 
acre 

Increase  over 
unfertilized 
plots. 

Am’t 

per 

acre. 

Kind. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

3 

475 

Rotted  cotton  seed  and  mixed  minerals 

992 

4 

216 

Cottop  seed  meal  and  mixed  minerals 

851 

5 

No  nitrogenous  fertilizer;  only  mixed  minerals. 

62  L 

6 

75 

Nitrate  of  soda  and  mixed  minerals* 

1010 

7 

475 

Rotted  cotton  seed  and  mixed  minerals 

1067 

8 

216 

Cotton  seed  meal  and  mixed  minerals 

1075 

9 

No  nitrogenous  fertilizer;  only  mixed  minerals. 

1155 

10 

75 

Nitrate  of  soda  

1350 

Averages. 

3 & 7 

475 

Rotted  cotton  seed  and  mixed  minerals 

1030 

1 142 

4 & 3 

2J6 

Cotton  seed  meal  and  mixed  minerals  

963 

75 

5 & 9 

No  nitrogenous  fertilizer  ; only  mixed  minerals. 

S«8 

& 10 

75 

Nitrate  of  soda  

1180 

292 

The  want  of  uniformity  in  the  natural  fertility  of  the 
different  plots,  which  is  indicated  by  the  yield,  makes  it 
unsafe  to  draw  any  positive  conclusion  as  to  the  relative 
values  of  the  several  fertilizers  compared.  This  question 
will  be  further  investigated. 

However  it  may  properly  be  noted  here  that  of  the  large 
number  of  comparisons  made  between  cotton  seed  meal  and 
cotton  seed  as  fertilizers  few  agree  as  to  the  relative  values 
of  these  two  materials.  On  some  soils  the  nitrogen  in 
cotton  seed  meal  is  more  effective  than  is  a similar  amount 
of  nitrogen  in  the  form  of  cotton  seed.  On  other  soils  and 
in  other  seasons  the  opposite  result  occurs.  Cotton  seed 
leave  in  the  soil  a larger  amount  of  fertilizer  for  the  follow- 
ing crop  than  does  cotton  seed  meal. 

In  14  experiments  conducted  under  the  writer’s  direction 
in  1896,  on  various  soils,  the  average  of  all  results  showed 
that  the  nitrogen  in  crushed  cotton  seed  was  equally  as 
effective  as  a similar  amount  of  nitrogen  in  cotton  seed 


16 


meal.  The  results  of  the  separate  tests  varied  widely.  In 
the  tests  just  alluded  to  one  pound  of  cotton  seed  meal  was 
equivalent  on  the  average  to  2.06  pounds  of  crushed  cotton 
seed.  In  a series  of  tests  in  South  Carolina  one  pound  of 
cotton  seed  meal  was  equivalent  to  2.79  pounds  of  seed.  In 
neither  of  these  series  of  experiments  was  any  account  taken 
of  the  residual,  or  second  years,  effects  of  the  two  fertil- 
izers. 

Special  Potash  Expeeiment. 

In  some  years  and  on  certain  soils  large  doses  of  kainit 
had  exercised  such  a valuable  effect  in  checking  black  rust 
or  yellow  leaf  blight  of  cotton,  that  an  effort  was  made  in 
1898  to  ascertain  the  smallest  amount  of  kainit  that  would 
serve  to  restrain  rust.  Another  object  of  this  experiment 
was  to  learn  whether  muriate  of  potash  was  equally  val- 
uable for  this  purpose,  and  a third  aim  was  to  note  the 
effects  of  applying  large  quantities  of  relatively  insoluble 
potash  in  the  form  of  potash  feldspar,  or  pulverized  potash- 
bearing rock. 

A poor  sandy  hilltop,  known  to  be  very  liable  to  produce 
rusted  cotton  was  selected.  Only  six  plots  were  available, 
which  rendered  duplication  impossible. 

This  field  grew  small  grain  in  1896  and  again  in  1897,  with 
drilled  cow  peas  following  the  grain  on  all  plots.  The  peas 
did  not  make  much  growth  in  either  year. 

In  bedding  the  land  in  1898  all  fertilizers  were  applied 
in  the  center  furrow  and  were  well  mixed  with  the  adjacent 
soil. 

On  all  plots  the  following  fertilizers,  which  we  shall  here 
speak  of  as  the  “basal  mixture,”  were  applied  April  11: 

120  pounds  cotton  seed  meal  per  acre  and  240  pounds 
acid  phosphate  per  acre. 

To  this  “basal  mixture”  was  added,  on  one  plot,  kainit  at 
the  rate  of  200  pounds  per  acre  ; on  another,  100  pounds  of 
kainit  per  acre ; on  a third,  60  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre. 


17 


« 


On  one  plot  muriate  of  potash  was  used  at  the  rate  of  50 
pounds  per  acre,  thus  furnishing  the  same  amount  of  potash 
as  200  pounds  of  kainit. 

Peerless  cotton  was  planted  April  19. 

On  all  plots  except  plots  3 and  4,  where  the  stand  was 
irregular,  there  remained,  after  thinning,  8,640  plants  per 
acre. 

As  early  as  August  14  rust  was  noticed  on  all  plots  except 
on  those  fertilized  with  200  pounds  of  kainit  or  50  pounds 
of  muriate  of  potash  per  acre.  August  16  black  rust  was 
general  on  the  plot  without  potash,  on  the  feldspar  plot  and 
on  the  plot  with  only  60  pounds  of  kainit  per  acre;  on  the 
plots  having  100  or  200  pounds  of  kainit  or  50  pounds  of 
muriate  of  potash  there  was  then  very  little  rust. 

The  following  table  shows  the  percentage  of  the  original 
number  of  leaves  retained,  as  estimated  August  25  and  Sep- 
tember 23. 


Percentage  of  leaves 

Plot 

retained. 

No. 

Potash  Fertilizer  Per  Plot. 

Aug.  25. 

Sept.  23. 

1 

200  lbs.  kainit 

70 

5 

2 

100  “ kainit 

50 

5 

3 

60  “ kainit 

40 

2 

4 

No  potash 

20 

K 

5 

1000  potash  feldspar 

20 

34 

6 

50  “ murate  of  potash 

70 

25 

It  was  perfectly  evident  from  the  appearance  of  the  plants 
that  an  abundant  supply  of  soluble  potash  did  decrease  the 
amount  of  rust  and  did  tend  to  retain  the  leaves  on  the 
plant. 

The  yieds,  however,  with  one  exception,  did  not  show  the 
effects  of  potash  as  forcibly  as  did  the  appearance  of  the 
plants. 


18 


The  yields  follow  : 


Yield  of  seed  cotton  obtained  with  the  use  of  different  forms  of 

potash. 


Plot 

No. 

Fertilizers. 

Yield  of 
seed 
cotton 
per 
acre. 

Ain’t 

per 

acre. 

Kind. 

Lbs. 

Lbs. 

1 

200 

Kainit  and  basal  mixture 

556 

2 

100 

Kainit  and  basal  mixture 

492 

3 

60 

Kainit  and  basal  mixture 

516 

4 

No  potash;  only  basal  mixture 

408 

5 

1000 

Potash  feldspar  and  basal  mixture 

482 

6 

50 

Muriate  of  potash 

*954 

* The  yield  on  Plot  6 is  so  much  larger  than  that  on  other  plots  fer- 
tilized with  potash  that  we  must  ascribe  it,  in  part  at  least,  to  unde- 
tected want  of  uniformity  in  the  soil. 


The  reasons  were  unfavorable  for  securing  the  full  benefit 
of  fertilizers.  Hence,  positive  conclusions  will  not  be  in 
order  until  this  experiment  is  repeated.  However,  one  re- 
sult is  so  noticeable  that  it  should  not  be  overlooked.  A 
pound  of  potash  in  the  form  of  muriate  was  fully  as  effect- 
ive, in  restraining  rust  as  a pound  of  potash  in  the  form  of 
kainit.  This  experiment,  together  with  others  conducted 
by  the  writer  in  1897  and  1898,  suggest  that  100  pounds  of 
kainit  per  acre  exerts  a marked  rust  restraining  power.  It 
is  still  an  open  question  what  is  the  least  amount  of  kainit 
that  will  produce  this  effect. 

The  potash  feldspar  used  in  this  experiment  was  furnished 
by  F.  M.  Dorsey,  Hyssop,  Ala.,  who  obtained  it  from  a 
natural  deposit  in  Coosa  county.  It  was  pulverized  with 
crude  implements  and  was  not  in  very  fine  state  of  division. 


19 


WHERE  TO  GET  SEED. 


The  seed  of  the  varieties  grown  here  is  not  offered  for 
sale  or  distribution.  Growing  on  small  plots  side  by  side, 
the  varieties  naturally  cross  and  become  impure.  Our 
stock  of  seed  was  obtained  from  the  following  parties : 

Allen  Hybrid  L.  S.,  from  J.  B.  Allen,  Port  Gibson,  Miss. 

Strickland,  from  Ourry-Arrington  Co.,  Rome,  Ga. 

Texas  Oak,  from  M.  G.  Smith,  Lightfoot,  Ga. 

Hutchinson,  from  J.  N.  Hutchinson,  Salem,  Ala. 

Russell,  from  J.  T.  Russell,  Alexander  City,  Ala. 

“Smith  Improved,”  from  E.  A.  Smith,  Conyers,  Ga. 

Culpepper,  from  J.  A.  Culpepper,  Luthersville,  Ga. 

Jones’  Re-improved,  Hawkins,  Griffin,  and  Duncan,  from 
Mark  W.  Johnson  Seed  Co.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

Deering  and  Peterkin,  from  H.  P.  Jones,  a seed-grower  at 
Herndon,  Ga. 


Circulating  copy 


Agricultural  Library 


